Baranya (Hungarian: Baranya, Croatian: Baranja, Serbian: Барања / Baranja, German: Branau) was an administrative county (comitatus) of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its territory is now in southern Hungary (the present county Baranya) and northeastern Croatia (part of the Osijek-Baranja county). The capital of the county was Pécs.

Geography

Baranya county was located in Baranya region. It shared borders with the Hungarian counties Somogy, Tolna, Bács-Bodrog and Verőce (the latter county was part of Croatia-Slavonia). The county stretched along the rivers Drava (north bank) and Danube (west bank), up to their confluence. Its area was 5,176 km² around 1910.

Historical background

Baranya county arose as one of the first comitatus of the Kingdom of Hungary, in the 11th century. Stephen I of Hungary founded an episcopal seat here. In the 15th century, Janus Pannonius was the Bishop of Pécs. In the 16th century, the Ottoman Empire conquered Baranya, and included it into the sanjak of Mohács, an Ottoman administrative unit, with the seat in the city of Mohács.

History

In 1918, the entire Baranya was captured by Serbian troops and was administered by the newly created Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, but as a Republic, see: Baranya-Baja Republic.

By the Treaty of Trianon of 1920, the territory of the county was divided between the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (renamed to Yugoslavia in 1929) and Hungary. The south-east of the county was assigned to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, while the remainder was assigned to Hungary, and today it is part of the present Hungarian county Baranya, which also include some lands in the west that were not part of the historic Baranya county (After World War II the district of Szigetvár (previously part of Somogy county) was transferred to Baranya county).

Aftermath

The Yugoslav part of the pre-1920 county was occupied and re-annexed by Hungary during World War II and the pre-1920 borders of Baranya county were recreated in 1941. The border between Yugoslavia and Hungary was restored after World War II and the borders of the county changed again.

Since 1991, when Croatia became independent from Yugoslavia, the Yugoslav part of pre-1920 Baranya county is part of Croatia. Between 1991 and 1995 it was under occupation of rebel Croatian Serbs, while UN administered that area (Srem-Baranja Oblast) as a transitional body. In modern times there is a Magyar and Serb minority in Croatian Baranja and a Croatian minority in Hungarian Baranya. Roma minority is present in both parts, as well as Germans (until 1945).

Demographics

In 1900, the county had a population of 334,764 people and was composed of the following linguistic communities:[1]